Kye Howarth

Whilst studying yoga in India I met a very special mother of the cutest, most placid baby I have ever seen. Her child was well adjusted, relaxed and happy, despite the sweltering heat and mosquitos, a rarity amongst the other children at the ashram. I asked the awe-inspiring mother what contributed to her babe's angelic state and she pointed out that during her pregnancy she took great care of herself; she meditated, ate well, practiced yoga, pilates, exercised and rested regularly. This, she believed, contributed to a stress-free birth and a balanced childhood for her little girl. The mother never feared traveling because her baby was always so content, and felt a balanced lifestyle allowed her to tackle motherhood without becoming unnecessarily flustered or overwhelmed. The sight of this remarkable woman alone with her baby in India quashed all stereotypes I had of motherhood; which until then combined a loose and ghastly mix of 'baby can read' infomercials and memories of my mother crying over the humidicrib as hospital goers laughed at my jaundiced brothers' soiled nappies and mock solarium sunglasses drawn on their eye-patches. (it's okay, they’re all grown up and soiled nappies are very infrequent now that they are in their twenties).